# Tenements, Towers & Trash: An Unconventional Illustrated History of New York City - Hardcover

by **Julia Wertz** (Author)

**A _New York Times_ Notable Book of 2017!**

Here is New York, **as you've never seen it before. A perfectly charming, sidesplittingly funny, intellectually entertaining illustrated history of the blocks, the buildings, and the guts of New York City, based on Julia Wertz's popular illustrated columns in _The New Yorker_ and _Harper's._  
**  
In _Tenements, Towers & Trash,_ Julia Wertz takes us _behind_ the New York that you think you know. Not the tourist's New York-the Statue of Liberty makes a brief appearance and the Empire State Building not at all-but the guts, the underbelly, of this city that never sleeps. With drawings and comics in her signature style, Wertz regales us with streetscapes "Then and Now" and little-known tales, such as the lost history of Kim's Video, the complicated and unresolved business of Ray's Pizza, the vintage trash and horse bones that litter the shore of Brooklyn's Bottle Beach, the ludicrous pinball prohibition, Staten Island's secret abandoned boatyard, and the hair-raising legend of the infamous abortionist of Fifth Avenue, Madame Restell. From bars, bakeries, and bookstores to food carts, street cleaners, and apartments both cramped and grand, _Tenements, Towers & Trash_ is a wild ride in a time machine taxi from the present day city to bygone days of yore.

### Author Biography

**Julia Wertz** is a professional cartoonist and amateur historian. She has published five graphic novels, including most recently _Tenements, Towers & Trash_ and does monthly history comics for the _New Yorker_ and _Harper's Magazine_.

**Number of Pages:** 284

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 12.1 x 9 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** October 03, 2017

## Details

- **Price:** 32.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 32.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Tenements, Towers & Trash: An Unconventional Illustrated History of New York City - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/tenements-towers-trash-an-unconventional-illustrated-history-of-new-york-city-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23